Blake, Stosur, Venus Williams advance in Ohio

AP , Associated Press

Aug. 12, 201311:23 PM ET

MASON, Ohio (AP) — James Blake upset No. 16 seed Jerzy Janowicz 6-1, 7-5 in the first round of the Western & Southern Open on Monday.

David Kohl

Venus Williams, from the United States, returns to Jana Cepelova, from Slovakia, during a match at the Western & Southern Open tennis tournament on Monday, Aug.12, 2013, in Mason, Ohio. (AP Photo/David Kohl)

Venus Williams, from the United States, returns to Jana Cepelova, from Slovakia, during a match at the Western & Southern Open tennis tournament on Monday, Aug.12, 2013, in Mason, Ohio. (AP Photo/David Kohl)

James Blake, from the United States, hits a against Jerzy Janowicz, from Poland, during a match at the Western & Southern Open tennis tournament on Monday, Aug.12, 2013, in Mason, Ohio. (AP Photo/David Kohl)

James Blake, from the United States, reacts during a match against Jerzy Janowicz, from Poland, at the Western & Southern Open tennis tournament on Monday, Aug. 12, 2013, in Mason, Ohio. (AP Photo/David Kohl)

Venus Williams, from the United States, hits a backhand against Jana Cepelova, from Slovakia, during a match at the Western & Southern Open tennis tournament on Monday, Aug.12, 2013, in Mason, Ohio. Williams won 6-4, 6-1. (AP Photo/David Kohl)

Bethanie Mattek-Sands, from the United States, retuns a shot from Roberta Vinci, from Italy, during a match at the Western & Southern Open tennis tournament on Monday, Aug.12, 2013, in Mason, Ohio. (AP Photo/David Kohl)

Samantha Stosur, of Australia, returns a volley to Svetlana Kuznetsova, of Russia, during a match at the Western & Southern Open tennis tournament on Monday, Aug. 12, 2013, in Mason, Ohio. (AP Photo/Tom Uhlman)

Svetlana Kuznetsova, of Russia, returns a volley to Samantha Stosur, of Australia, during a match at the Western & Southern Open tennis tournament on Monday, Aug. 12, 2013, in Mason, Ohio. (AP Photo/Tom Uhlman)

Grigor Dimitrov, of Bulgaria, returns a volley to Nicolas Almagro, of Spain, during a match at the Western & Southern Open tennis tournament on Monday, Aug. 12, 2013, in Mason, Ohio. (AP Photo/Tom Uhlman)

Martina Hingis, of Sweden, returns a volley to Anabel Medina Garrigues, of Spain, and Flavia Pennetta, of Italy, during a doubles match at the Western & Southern Open tennis tournament on Monday, Aug. 12, 2013, in Mason, Ohio. (AP Photo/Tom Uhlman)

Alexandr Dolgopolov, from Ukraine, hits a forehand against Ryan Harrison during a first-round match at the Western & Southern Open tennis tournament on Sunday, Aug. 11, 2013, in Mason, Ohio. (AP Photo/Al Behrman)

Samantha Stosur, of Australia, returns a volley to Svetlana Kuznetsova, of Russia, during a match at the Western & Southern Open tennis tournament on Monday, Aug. 12, 2013, in Mason, Ohio. (AP Photo/Tom Uhlman)

The 33-year-old Blake reached the tournament's second round for the second straight year.

Janowicz, ranked 16th, lost in his first appearance at the tournament. He lost to eventual champion Andy Murray in the Wimbledon semifinals.

"He's a really good player," Blake said of Janowicz. "I knew he could be a little up and down. He definitely didn't have his best first set.

"He started out a little slow, and I kind of took advantage, used the momentum, and it came down to taking really good care of my break points. I came up with some good serves and a couple of big forehands, and that was the difference, I think."

Former U.S. Open champion Sam Stosur moved into the second round of the tournament with a 6-1, 7-5 win over Svetlana Kuznetsova.

Stosur, who won the 2011 U.S. Open, lost in the round of 16 at the Rogers Cup in Toronto last week after winning the Southern California Open.

In the first night session match, 37th-ranked Venus Williams lost the first three games before roaring back for a 6-4, 6-1 win over qualifier Jana Cepelova.

Williams was playing just her second match since losing in the first round of the French Open. She lost in the first round of the Rogers Cup at Toronto last week.

"I had a slow start," Williams said. "I was missing shots, but I was being aggressive, so I realized if I had made a few more that it would probably be the other way for me.

"She was really determined, I thought. She just looked really determined and really just energetic. She was definitely going to take it to me, so it was good to turn around and get a win. Feels good, yeah."

Ninth-seeded Angelique Kerber, who lost in last year's finals to Li Na, overcame losing a first-set tiebreaker before rolling through the last two sets in a 6-7 (6), 6-0, 6-1 win over qualifier Karin Knapp. American Sloane Stephens outlasted qualifier Petra Martic 6-2, 3-6, 6-3.

Former top-ranked singles player Martina Hingis and Daniela Hantuchova advanced to the second round in doubles with a 4-6, 6-4, 10-5 win over Anabel Medina Garrigues and Flavia Pennetta.

Serena Williams, Victoria Azarenka and Maria Sharapova will compete in the event together for the first time.

The top-ranked Williams, who won the Rogers Cup in Toronto, has never won the Western & Southern, losing in quarterfinals last year to the then-fifth-seeded Kerber.

The event is her first since losing in the second round at Wimbledon. She's also been bothered by a hip injury.

"Everything is feeling fine," the third-ranked Sharapova said. "I'm at the stage of my career where I have the luxury of making sure. I love playing a full schedule, but I'd rather come in here feeling good and healthy. I haven't played in weeks, so I might be a little rusty."